LAST YEAR'S MODEL

For all you doubters & complainers:

MODEL-006!!!

You can see him in 3-D on Thursday, at the Cameo Gallery show.

• ONE OF MY FAVORITE DIRECTORS DIED YESTERDAY SO I WROTE ABOUT MY FAVORITES AMONG HIS WORK. READ IT. LET'S TALK… http://fb.me/v0NwEwyB #
• WHAT THE FUCK?! THIS BAND IS SO RAD I WANNA PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE. WITH A LASER. http://fb.me/G8zw9PRJ #
• YEAH THE BEST NIGHT OF UR LIFE JUST GOT BETTER CUZ NOW WE ARE PLAYING WITH little, big!!! http://fb.me/HRteCYZZ #

Ummm…okay…soooooo… (say it out loud as if you were Rosie O’Donnell in “Riding on the Bus with my Sister” and it sounds funny) a bunch of you made it out early for the Cake Shop show last week.  And a few of you even made it early.  And if you were one of those that made it early, you got to see my new favorite band, Swingset Committee.  Not since 003 and I were traveling to Philly to stalk The Model have I been this stoked on a band.  So of course I had to pick up their new ep (okay so it was released back in November, so really its just new to me), “In Transit” and a t-shirt.  FYI my collection of clothing is filled entirely by band t-shirts.  But I digress.

Swingset Committee is:
David Dahlquist – Production/Vocals
Andrew Belinsky – Vocals
Tim Morrison – Drums

Let’s talk about the record first.  Where do I begin?!  This is how synth pop should be.  In Transit is six perfect pop songs in 25 minutes that will leave you wanting more.  The first thing that immediately grabbed me about this ep is their use of out of character (for synth pop) instrumentation.  Album opener Little Life is a song that I was convinced was going to be douchey in that talk about my feelings and we all vomit indie rawk kind of way.  Not the case.  What starts as guitars and strings becomes a straight forward dance pop anthem complete with 4 on the floor kicks and chirping arpeggiated synths.  Swingset Committee doesn’t seem to be afraid to make the most of their equipment; the constant changes in the instrumentation provide the perfect backdrop for singer Andrew Belinsky’s strong vocal performance.

The ep’s six tracks showcase the varying ways in which one can write strong pop songs that makes you dance.  Track two, Singing Along, is on the softer, sugary side (and I see some pics that indicate a video is in the works), which is then followed by Mind Reels, the coldest most robotic effort in the bunch.  Into the Shelter is a softer track made great by an arrangement that builds throughout the song in a way that reminds me of a better track by the Postal Service — constantly holding back and only reaching fever pitch in the final chorus.  Moving towards the end of the ep we come to Easy Way, the most straight forward dance song in the bunch and my personal favorite track.  Smell of Soil closes the record with an epic touch, combining drums that have a sped up march feel with spacey synths that make me think of Plus-Tech Squeeze Box’s (Star) but with less ADD (oh god why does it always come back to weird Japanese pop with me?!?!).

After listening to the record and being thoroughly impressed, I wondered how their live show would stack up.  I was not disappointed.  Despite being a small band and despite much of the instrumentation being tracked, their live energy was more than enough to engage absolutely everyone in the room.  And what a great cover of Psycho Killer.  I am so stoked on this band.  Too bad their next show is the same night as our next show.  Cuz I wanna go.

AAAAAAANyways.  Just listen.  Also you’re welcome.

(this is the edit of Little Life, so you don’t get the awesome “fooled you into thinking we were Coldplay loving jerks” intro but you do get the awesome song)

Also, me and 006 are gonna do remixes for them and then they will do remixes for us and you can all be grateful.

Mega bummertown.  I just found out that Satoshi Kon died yesterday.  He was the creator of a lot of awesome anime movies and one really amazing television series.  His work can best be described as a kind of magical realism / sci-fi crossover that tended to heavily explore the boundaries of fantasy vs reality, often with very dark, paranoid undertones.  Satoshi Kon’s works are modern day masterpieces and have always been an inspiration to me as a songwriter, so I wanted to share a little bit about his work with you.

I was first introduced to his work through his 1998 masterpiece (and directorial debut) Perfect Blue.

The story explores one pop stars descent into a world where she can no longer tell what is real and what is the television drama in which she is a character.  I guess it’s a psychological thriller…?  I don’t won’t to spoil it by going further, but Kon’s brilliant use of cuts between scenes lends itself perfectly to the portrayal of a human psyche on the brink of losing it completely.  Here’s the trailer, though it really doesn’t do the movie justice.

The second video is for Kon’s 13 episode series, Paranoia Agent. Once again, the trailer doesn’t do it justice.  The story follows a wide cast of characters who are in some way affected by Lil’ Slugger, a rollerblading killer who Read more

• We are at The Cake Shop tonight!!! Doors at 8 and we r on at 9. You're welcome. #
• THANKS FOR COMING OUT EVERYONE! #
• I posted a new photo to Facebook http://fb.me/HbihCIJP #

• CAKE SHOP TOMORROW NIGHT AT 9PM. SEE YOU THERE JERKS. #

• INFORMATION IS MY WEAPON!! http://fb.me/Gt7qK5xV #
• YOU WILL THANK ME LATER WHEN YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION DOESN'T SUCK AS HARD AS IT DID BEFORE YOU MET ME. http://fb.me/GzYrSKJ2 #
• HEY GUYS REMEMBER THAT TIME I GIFTED YOU WITH RADICAL MUSIC REVIEWS SO THAT YOU COULD FEEL COOLER? AND THEN MY… http://fb.me/GE4Jp4m4 #
• COCK ROCK + SYNTH POP = COCK SYNTH. http://fb.me/EueP6Yp6 #

So I continue to be wicked stoked on this record!!!  It’s the sophomore full length from Liverpool based To My Boy.  I really couldn’t be happier with it, although I didn’t always feel this way.  Join me on a magical journey.

It all began when Model-003 introduced me to the band a couple years ago.  He insisted that I pick up their full length, “Messages”, but when I did I was nonplussed.  Looking back, I can’t figure out why because the record is full of great hooks and excellent instrumentation that uses quirky synths and punky guitars–everything I love.  Read more

Hey guys! It’s been a little while!! Just wanted to let you know what’s going on n stuff. So we are almost done with a brand new remix ep. Featuring remixed tracks off of human 2.0, I think there will be six remixes in all (one is done by a super awesome special guest!!). It will also have one or two extras, but we haven’t decided what those are (yeah, new songs). In other news, we are playing at the Cake Shop on August 15th, so I hope we will see you there. Yeah, I guess that’s it. Oh, and we are already recording a new ep so get stoked on that too.

• YOU DON'T CREATE YOU JUST REPLICATE! #
• Come to "STOKED ON THE CAKE SHOP" Sunday, August 15 from 8:00 am to 9:30 pm. doors at 8pm. 21+

  1st. Last Year's… http://fb.me/E2zrJQd8 #